Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family / Paul Ngozi
Chris Editions Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family : My Ancestors (ZAM,1974)**°'
airplayed in radioshow before: Tr.A5, "Coffin maker" 4 min, Tr.A1, "My Ancestors" 4 min,
Tr.A2, "Trouble Makers" 4 min, Tr.B2, "I've been losing" 4 min
Comments from previous radioshow : "Sadly primitively recorded, especially the voice, a bit garage like. But original in style, with great fuzz guitars ; instrumentally with a strong sound. A bit hardrock-like garage rock with a progressive touch."
This is the first (and best) of many LPs by Zebby, originally released in 1974. Zambian records from this period are often characterized by their prodigious use of fuzz guitar.
The back of the LP says : "Chrissy Zebby Tembo was born in Chingola 27 years ago. He started his musical career as a drummer for the Scorpions, who became three years before and are now the Ngozi family. And now Chrissy has recorded this solo album.." with Tommy Mwale on bass and Paul Ngozi on guitar. A Chris Edition Production.
e-mail response I received with additional info :
"To the best of my knowledge, the band was never called Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi family. The band was called the Ngozi Family Band. Ngozi ( means danger). Chrissy was the drummer, to the best of my knowledge and Paul Ngozi the Lead guitarist was the most influential and band leader and sometimes the band was called Paul Ngozi and the Ngozi Family." Eugene
PS. The first compilation of Mondo Music contains 1 older Ngozi track.
All the rest is afro-styled Zamrock (a more exotic-African dance form of pop-rock).
Nosmoke Rec. Ngozi Family : 45,000 Volts -CD/LP- (ZAM,1975,re.2009)***°'
This first (?) group based album is directed already towards more popular sounding African rock songs and rhythms, with sometimes primitive edges in the singing, rhythms, or with inspired song material (heavier as well as calmer, with use of Afro-based repetition). There are really some great ideas on fuzz guitars, at times being more heavy.
Paul Ngozi with this band gave a popular voice to what later was called ‘Zamrock’. He’s still is one of the most known names in Zambia. These 70’s now were more forgotten but not Paul Ngozi. Nowadays Zamrock means something different and has a more generalised global Afro-sound with more commercial means. But this was still rooted in rock, with English lyrics most often.
LP limited to 600 copies.
Shadox Rec. Paul Ngozi : The Ghetto -LP/CD- (ZAM,1976,re.2011)****
Paul Ngozi still is extremely popular in Zambia, but still he’s less known for his early rock albums than for the whole musical movement he was part of. He more or less defined the Zambian rock or Zamrock sound, but also the new more generalised later afro-sound which was equally called Zamrock (it also has a second generation definition). Zamrock underwent a whole evolution where only the early bands were fuzz-rock styled (the booklet mentions some of the bands/individuals like Rikki Illilonga, Keith, Ricky Banda, Distro Kuomboka, Black Foot, The Peace, Fire Balls,..). We already know some releases by Paul Ngozi and Ngozi Family Band. This is a reissue of his 1976 album, which I think was his fourth album. His Fifth “45000 volts” found some other reissue too lately. It was Rikki Illilonga who founded the first Zamrock band Musi-O- Tunya who also produced Paul Ngozi’s first single. Around 1976 the fuzz-rock scene was at his highlight although albums still are extremely scarce and it is a miracle it all is getting so well self-restored and organised in time to get all these albums from around that time (including Witch from Ghana) to be reissued now.
This particular reissue in a way uses rather simple but very effective formulas to express it's songs full of engagement of all what was going around. They have simple rocking rhythms on bass, rhythm guitar and drums, here and there responding vocals. In a way the second song on the album sounds a bit like a simplified deep afro-rock version of a Black Sabbath-styled song. The lyrics are very direct and show true engagement in all of the subjects, which include a song about self-responsibility to watch over its children even when living in a ghetto, apartheid and even one song about Jesus as a peacemaker., with just two songs in the local language. An attractive, accessible calm-groovy rock album, equally strong to several contemporaries also reissued by now.
Now Again Rec. Ngozi Family : Day Of Judgement (ZM,1976,re.2014)****
There have been already a few reissues of Ngozi Family albums. This reissue is to say the least, of the same quality as the other ones, if not, at least in a very direct way, like an acid garage concept with an effective rawness, with simple direct energy songs that mostly are about directions, judgments and experiences of girls. The energy is expressive and emotionally direct. The drumming is a great variation of Afro-rock, while there are several fuzz solos, sometimes combined with bass that are worthy of note, making the group balance between a directing-to-the-public song-driven rock band and a power trio.
The album more or less gives the impression of a concept album. The first song first seem to give a religious context about the “Day of Judgement”, but this is merely an excuse for a personal statement, while it’s judgement and experience will be about girls that one can divide between good and bad girls, with moral and relational implications. The songs are led by one person/singer, but there are also harmony driven vocals added which give these expressions extra power. Albums like this show that Africa really had great rock albums too. Recommended.
